MLS Wildcard Playoff – LA Galaxy (2) – Vancouver (1)

The Galaxy fight back after an early Darren Mattocks goal and advance to take on San Jose. Vancouver is left fuming after a questionable penalty sets up the winning Galaxy goal after putting in a spirited defensive effort.

Galaxy Setup

     Bruce Arena was able to fit all of his attacking players on the pitch in a 4-4-2 alignment. Tommy Meyer, Omar Gonzalez started at center back with Hector Jimenez and Todd Dunivant playing right and left back. In the middle, Juninho was relied upon to prevent any Whitecaps counter attacks. David Beckham also played in the center but focused on drifting to the right side where he found space to get on the ball and pick out long diagonal passes. The wide players, Landon Donovan and Mike Magee tended to drift inside. Robbie Keane played up top alongside Edson Buddle; Buddle tended to stay up high looking for crosses while Keane tended to drift into the wide zones and drop deep and play with the ball at his feet.

Whitecaps Setup

     Martin Rennie came into the match looking to play a defensive style. His side stayed compact with two banks of four. In front of these lines were Barry Robson and Darren Mattocks. The issue with this counter attacking setup was the lack of linkup play between Mattocks and Robson. As a result, Vancouver struggled to find any relief of the pressure as LA kept pushing numbers forward.

Barry Robson cannot get on the ball. 

     Nevertheless, the defensive performance was solid. Jay DeMerit and Andy O’Brien showed why having two veteran center backs can benefit a team in the playoffs. They dealt with all of the Galaxy crosses and kept their lines tight and organized. Lee Young-Pyo and Jordan Harvey occupied the fullback slots. In midfield, Alain Rochat, John Thorrington, Gershon Koffie and Matt Watson acted as a four man shield in front of the defense. The 4-4-1-1 shape was well drilled into the side and was almost enough to spring the upset.

Fast Start Perfectly Suits Vancouver

     The visitors were in dreamland after three minutes. Matt Watson flew past Hector Jimenez down the left side and squared a ball to Darren Mattocks who cleverly guided his first time strike off the far post woodwork and in. Mattocks’ astute run away from goal opened up space for himself to receive the pass and put his side ahead.

     The early lead gave Vancouver zero impetus to push forward and all the inspiration to defend what they had. Immediately, they dropped very deep into their own half and put ten or eleven players behind the ball at all times.

     While this strategy was effective for the first 70 minutes of the match, it was always likely that LA was going to score. Vancouver conceded too much space in their own half. This allowed the Galaxy to dominate possession on the right side. Beckham and Donovan, along with Jimenez overloaded the right side of the pitch. This led to the Galaxy having 74% of the possession in the first half.

Beckham and Donovancontrolling the right side. 

     However, the Caps were able to limit the number of chances the Galaxy were creating. Most of this was due to the number of interventions won by DeMerit and O’Brien as seen in this MLSsoccer.com chalkboard.

Frantic Stretch Decides the Match

     Bruce Arena went to the bench to tweak his setup. Strangely, he brought on Marcelo Sarvas, normally a central midfielder in place of right back Jimenez. This brought another player on the right side and more domination for the Galaxy on this side of the pitch.

     But, Sarvas is not a right back and was caught out of position in the 68^th minute, when Thorrington launched a counter to Watson. Watson carried the ball down the left played a one-two with Kenny Miller and forced a terrific save by Saunders. The rebound shot by Miller was off target and Robson had the third chance but was blocked.

     The Caps would rue this missed oppurtunity once LA equalized a minute later. The Galaxy switched up their style and played a short corner to Donovan who found Mike Magee unmarked at the penalty spot to first time volley the opener from LA. Key in this exchange was an injury to Jay DeMerit who had to leave and Martin Bonjour came in. Bonjour would give away a penalty a minute later as Donovan tried to run past but was impeded by Bonjour’s raised arm. There was definitely contact but the decision seemed quite harsh.

     After defending so fiercely, Vancouver lacked the energy to push for an equalizer and never threatened.

Can LA beat San Jose?

     For the two legged affair against the Quakes, Bruce Arena will have to tweak his lineup. He should consider removing Edson Buddle and starting Sarvas to sure up the midfield. With Beckham tending to drift wide, Juninho will need a partner to help control San Jose; a team with a much more attacking approach than Vancouver. Playing with Robbie Keane alone up front will help Magee and Donovan find space when they make forward diagonal runs from the outside.

     Defensively, Sean Franklin will be critical. If he is still injured, then Jimenez will have to start. He does not have a lot of speed and would concede tons of crosses for Gordon, Wondo and Lenhart to latch onto. Also, Josh Saunders will have to be confident and aggressive in the air. If he is caught flapping at a cross, the ball will end up in the net.

     San Jose should be heavy favorites and the tie should be extremely intense and competitive. After the last matchup resulted in a war of words, the Galaxy will be ready to kill the Western Conference giants.  

Thoughts on the Match? Can LA beat San Jose?

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Vancouver v Los Angeles (0-4) - Second Half Adjustment Propels Four LA Goals

Vancouver’s Strategy

     Still trying to figure out how to best use his new signing, Tom Soehn made a formation adjustment from the San Jose match. Peter Vagenas was left on the bench and Davide Chiumiento started in the center. The switch resulted in a diamond 4-4-2 look, with Chiumiento in front of the holding midfielder Koffie.

LA’s Strategy

     Without David Beckham, Bruce Arena made slight tweaks to the Galaxy approach but maintained his preferred 4-4-2. Sean Franklin played on the right side of midfield and AJ DeLaGarz moved to right back. Juninho and Michael Stephens paired in midfield and Mike Magee and Juan Pablo Angel were the two strikers.

Vancouver Can’t Finish First Half Chances

     Through the home crowd’s enthusiasm, Vancouver was able to start the match off brightly. Hassli and Jarju looked lively and were interchanging well. Hassli prefers to come deeper and work the channels to find space. He did a good job finding Jarju on crosses and also does well to half turn and fire off an unexpected shot. Also, Chiumiento was influential sitting behind the two strikers. He was given a free role and found space between LA’s midfield and defense. Koffie was not over stretched because Salinas and Camilo took turns tucking into midfield to support him.

     After all the good football the Caps played, they were unable to test Josh Saunders. Jarju shot high a few times and the Whitecaps were incapable at finding the final ball to set up a clear chance. The Galaxy would have been thrilled to go into the intermission level. Their passing was sloppy and predictable. Passes wide to the left in search of Donovan were the only strategy they had to create chances. However, Donovan could not find players with his crosses.

Arena’s Adjustment

     Looking in danger of dropping two or three points, Bruce Arena adjusted his tactics at halftime. Donovan was moved up as a second forward to Angel. Magee dropped into the left side of midfield to help defensively. Suring up the midfield stifled the Caps second half attack as they enjoyed much less of the ball than they did in the first half. Also, Dunivant was urged to attack and got higher up the pitch trying to exploit left side which was Vancouver’s soft spot.

     This all paid off in the 61^st minute. A mere two minutes earlier, Salinas had picked off a Magee pass and made a solo run but was unlucky in hitting the inside of the crossbar. This consistent inability to finish was finally punished when Juninho sent a high through ball towards the left channel. Boxall slipped on the turf and Donovan was free on goal. His first touch was good and he sent a sweet left footed shot with the outside of his boot past Joe Cannon.

     The floodgates were officially opened in the 74^th minute when Jordan Harvey inexplicably stuck out his right arm to deflect a long ball away from Franklin. The position of Franklin was not dangerous and the play by Harvey was unnecessary. Donovan buried the penalty for LA’s second and the life was sucked out of the stadium.

     Six minutes later, LA had a third when Donovan picked up a long ball from Dunivant down the left hand side. Soehn had taken off Leathers and no right back was on the pitch. Donovan squared the ball to the back post and Franklin was able to get his foot in ahead of Harvey. It is worth noting that Franklin made an incredible sixty yard run to find that position and was rewarded for his determination. The fourth goal came in the 90^th minute and was an embarrassing one for the home side to concede. Adam Cristman floated a header over the head of Joe Cannon, after Rochat and Harvey declined to contest the substitute striker in the air. The humiliating fourth simply highlights the needs for Vancouver to bolster their defense in the offseason.

Conclusions

     Vancouver can take some positives out of the match. Hassli and Jarju seem to linking up much better than they were a week ago. With Chiumiento and Camilo in midfield, the Whitecaps can create chances, but desperately need to capitalize on them to gain confidence. Give the attackers some tme to gel and I think they will score goals.

     Meanwhile, the Caps are a defensive mess. New arrival Jordan Harvey conceded a penalty and allowed Franklin to beat him to the back post for the third goal. However, the right side was far worse. Leathers could not contain Donovan and Boxall did not support his fullback. The Galaxy focused on attacking this flank with Donovan, Magee and Dunivant.

     For LA, they got the three points they were looking for. It was a solid road performance but one where you would have expected more from them in the first half. The back four were okay, but DeLaGarza did not look as comfortable playing on the right side. Gonzalez was welcomed back in and played well. The Galaxy conceded possession around their penalty area, but did not allow many shots on Saunders’ goal.

     Los Angeles’ problems were in two areas. The partnership of Juninho and Michael Stephens in midfield struggled defensively. In the first half, the Galaxy were stretched in the middle when Chiumiento and Hassli dropped into midfield. Arena did fix this problem by dropping Magee to the left, who helped tuck inside to do more of the dirty work that Donovan did not do. Also, Gonzalez and Dunivant were keener on stepping up to try and dispossess players further from goal.

     Secondly, LA has an anemic strike force at the moment. Sounding redundant from earlier articles, Juan Pablo Angel and the rest of the forwards are not getting the job done. Angel made little impact and was hardly involved in the match. Putting Donovan up top, with Angel, could be the solution to ignite the strikers. Donovan would do the running into the channels while Angel could stay more central to hold up the ball and receive passes from Donovan in space around the box. We will just have to wait and see how Arena approaches this minor dilemma.

Thoughts?

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San Jose v Vancouver (2-2) – Hassli’s Brace Cancels out Wondo’s

Entering the match, the two sides came in limping. Vancouver were on a four match losing streak and San Jose had gone winless in six.

San Jose’s Strategy

     Frank Yallop started with a 4-2-3-1 formation, using Wondolowski on the left side instead of as a strike partner for Lenhart. Lenhart’s job was to hold up the ball and he took quite a pummeling doing so. Dawkins operated as the playmaker between the forwards and midfield. Wondolowski played more as a left striker than a left winger and stayed high up the pitch. On the right side, Peterson played as a true winger and the midfield of Dawkins, Ring and Stephenson looked to find him in space.

Vancouver’s Strategy

     Tom Soehn had to forge a makeshift back four due to the absences of Jordan Harvey, Alain Rochat and Jay DeMerit. Jeb Brovsky went from midfield to left back and slide Greg Janicki into central defense. Also, Mustapha Jarju made his MLS debut and Vancouver went to a 4-4-2 instead of their usual 4-2-3-1. Camilo and Salinas played on the wings, swapping sides midway through the first half.

Quakes Score Early and Dominate

     The Earthquakes claimed the lead in the third minute of the match. Vancouver gave the ball away in their own half. Lenhart sent a return ball to Dawkins who delicately chipped a pass to Wondolowski out wide. Brovsky was caught out of position and Wondo was free to finish a right footed shot past Joe Cannon.

     San Jose remained the team on top for the majority of the first half. Lenhart was working hard to hold up the ball and draw fouls. Wondolowski looked dangerous in the left forward spot and Dawkins and Peterson were looking to find the two forwards.

     Vancouver started slow as Jarju and Hassli looked like strangers playing together. Salinas was active out wide and trying to swing in crosses but the two strikes were standing on top of each other a few times and made themselves easy to mark. Jarju did have a great chance to the right of goal but put it over. San Jose’s 4-4-2 defensive shell was proving difficult to breakdown.

Vancouver level Before Half and Carry Momentum

    Just before the half, Simon Dawkins was forced to leave the match with a hamstring injury and the rookie Rafael Baca was brought in. After this change, the match seemed to swing in Vancouver’s favor. One minute later, Hassli was able to equalize. San Jose lost possession on the left touchline and Salinas put Hassli through on goal through the left channel. This was possible because Bobby Burling was caught too high up the pitch and Hassli finished to the far post with Busch only able to get fingers to his shot.

     Due to the Dawkins injury, Yallop set his side in a 4-4-2 to start the second half, moving Baca wide left and Wondolowski up top. This tactical change did not seem to forge a cohesive attack. However, the Quakes were able to take the lead back in the 54^th minute. Peterson sent in a free kick from the right side that was comfortably finished by Wondolowski, for his second of the night. The free header a mere five yards from goal was made possible after Wondo’s marker had fallen down.

     Nevertheless, the Whitecaps responded well to again being down a goal. Through his excellent off the ball movement, Hassli began to find room in the channels and Jarju stayed up top. But, the Gambian’s night ended early in the second half and Vancouver sent in Chiumiento to play behind Hassli and shift to a 4-2-3-1.

     The Caps found success down the left hand side. Salinas was going by Chris Leitch like he was a turnstile. In the 61^st minute, Salinas provided his second assist to Hassli. He skipped past Leitch to the endline and squared the ball to Hassli who was unmarked ten yards from goal, and the French man finished for his second goal.

Wide Open Final 25 Minutes

     Both teams were in dire need of a win and they were desperately trying to score a third. This made the final quarter of the match entertaining. Salinas found space by Leitch again and set up Camilo who missed the target. Lenhart had a one v one after Janicki misplaced a header. The out of form striker missed the target and two minutes later had a header saved by Cannon. Camilo had another chance but took too many touches and Burling recovered to clear in the 86^th minute. Three minutes later, Koffie rattled the crossbar with a rocket off the crossbar. Wondolowski had two half chances in the 92^nd minute but was unable to get a shot away, the match ending in a draw.

Conclusion

     Neither manager will be happy to pick up a point, but they can take positives out of the match.  

     San Jose has now drawn seven matches in a row. Frank Yallop should consider shaking up his lineup to try and freshen up his team. Maybe he should drop Lenhart to the bench and start Wondolowski on his own up top to make room for an attacking midfielder. The system they started the match with (Dawkins in the center) seemed to work but he may have picked up an injury for a few weeks.

     Vancouver look to have a promising strike partnership. Hassli will be freer to work the channels and hold up the ball while Jarju will play off the shoulder of the center backs and try and win headers and make runs to get behind the defense. This partnership may take a few games to look cohesive as a few times the strikers got in each other’s way.

     For future matches, maybe Tom Soehn will consider moving Camilo into the middle where he seems more comfortable to try and create chances for the strikers. Camilo played out wide but always wants to cut inside and find the ball instead of playing a true wing. If they keep him on the right, the right back will have to get forward to provide width.

Thoughts on the match?

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Toronto FC v Vancouver (1-0) - Toronto Get Much Needed Win in Lackluster Canadian Derby

Toronto's Strategy
     Under fire manager Aron Winter set out his Toronto team in a 4-3-3. Martina was used as a central striker, a position he is not accustomed to. Joao Plata and Nick Soolsma were the left and right wingers respectively. Plata was supported well on the left by left back Danleigh Borman and was the most dangerous Toronto player on the pitch. The central midfield players were Mikael Yourassowsky and Gianluca Zavarise. Yourassowsky was more involved than Zavarise who astonishingly only made 13 successful passes in 73 minutes on the pitch.  Sturgis sat deep in a holding midfield role.
    Toronto's defense relied way too heavily on kicking the ball long. Thus, they were not able to maintain possession. Ty Harden and Richard Eckerseley often played it long to a wide area and Vancouver controlled these passes.
Vancouver's Strategy
     Tom Soehn opted for a 4-2-3-1, similarly to the style that earned the whitecaps a point in Seattle. However, this lineup had many changes as Soehn rested players for the Canadian Championship Final on Saturday, where the winner will earn a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League. Additionally, first choice defenders Jay Demerit and Alan Rochat were injured giving way to an iffy back line.
    Youngster and 2011 number one pick Omar Salgado started as the lone striker. Jeb Brovsky played behind Salgado in the playmaker role. The wide players were Shea Salinas and Russell Teibert. The key players in the side for Vancouver were Gershon Koffie and Peter Vagenas. The two holding midfielders were the focal point to the Whitecaps side. They combined to make 20 ball recoveries and 111 completed passes.
Vancouver Dominate but cannot create
    With Koffie and Vagenas controlling the match, Vancouver was dominating possession. The Whitecaps ended the match with 66% of the overall possession. However, they were unable to create chances. Omar Salgado was effective at getting the ball back to goal and holding up the ball by finding a pass. He did not get the ball facing goal or a through ball with a chance to run at a defender. He also got very few crosses to get a head to. They tried to catch Plata up field by  releasing Wes Knight down the right flank, but this strategy failed as most of the long passes were too long for Knight and rolled out of play.

     Toronto’s best chance of the match came in the 14^th minute. Wes Knight made a blind back pass that was intercepted by the Reds. Plata was then free down the left side and squared a pass that was knocked away from Soolsma. The ball rolled to the top of the box and sat up well for Yourassowsky but he struck well wide of Nolly’s net.

Whitecaps Halftime Switch

     Tied nil-nil at halftime, Soehn attempted to capitalize on his side’s domination of the match by making an attacking substitution. Eric Hassli was brought on to replace Jeb Brovsky. Brovsky looked out of sorts in the playmaker role. Looking at the chalkboards (via mlssoccer.com) his passes were either sideways or backwards. This lack of creativity from him made Vancouver’s attack predictable and easy to quash. In turn, Soehn went with a 4-4-2 with two big strikers, Hassli and Salgado up top. Even with the changes, Vancouver still struggled. They only put in eleven crosses in the second half, and only two of those were successful or decent balls in. One would have thought the Whitecaps strategy would have shifted to supplying high balls for Hassli and Salgado to win in the air. Hassli was not the spark Soehn had hoped for as he had zero shots and was only able to hold up play and not provide a killer pass to free up Salgado or a wide player. Nevertheless, give credit to the Whitecaps manager to for attempting to liven up the match as Aron Winter’s side came out with the same 4-3-3 setup.
Soft Penalty leads to Win

     The lone goal of the match came out of nothing in the 52^nd minute. Nick Soolsma picked up the ball on the right edge of the box and was making his way toward the end line. The defender Greg Janicki was in a good position to defend, but he gambled on the ball and lunged to knock it away. Janicki made little, if any, contact with the ball and Soolsma was tripped, falling to the grass. Referee Mark Geiger pointed to the spot and Soolsma buried it, only after re taking it because Plata encroached on the first attempt.

Toronto Comfortably Holds onto the Lead

     After the goal, the match took on a surprisingly similar trajectory. Vancouver controlled possession but could not threaten Toronto. Vancouver’s lone chance came from Salgado. He was fed a pass from the substitute Camilo on the left edge of the box. Salgado was able to turn onto his left foot as the marking from Eckersley was loose. However, the youngster’s left footed strike was just wide of the target.

     Toronto’s lone outlet of play was Joao Plata. The small speedy winger did well to pick up the ball and challenge defenders. He was dispossessed 26 times in the match by Vancouver. Though he may not have had a successful night creating chances, Plata was the only Red who scared the Whitecaps defense.
Conclusion
     BMO Field is known for a boisterous atmosphere but last night the crowd seemed subdued. Also, this being a Canadian Derby, I expected a hostile environment. The fans came out to watch (over 19,000) but they were quiet and understandably so considering how little the Reds created.

     The crowd took on the attitude of the match as the play was slow and both teams defended deep. This match reminded me of a Champions League end of the group stage match where neither team had something to play for. The intensity was low and the players seemed content with not trying to score.

     Toronto desperately needs their two new designated player signings, Torsten Frings and Danny Koevermans. Unfortunately, they will not be available to play until July 20^th. Frings will play in the holding midfield role and should help Toronto maintain possession and distribute the ball effectively. Koevermans is a big man and a veteran goal scorer in the Dutch Eredivisie. He has scored 136 goals in his career, mostly doing damage with his instincts or in the air; he is 6 ft 3 in.

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Seattle Sounders v Vancouver Whitecaps (2-2) Cascadia Derby

     Vancouver have yet to win away from home and are sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference. They recently fired manager Teitur Thordarson and put Tom Soehn in charge. The Sounders are pushing to make the playoffs and sit third in the West, coming into this match thinking they could get all three points.

     Considering the opposite trajectory of each team’s season, it was easy to comprehend how each team tactically approached the match. Vancouver set up to defend and play on the counter whilst the Sounders fielded an attack minded lineup and formation.

First Half Lineups

Vancouver’s Strategy

     Vancouver set up in a 4-2-3-1. Hassli operated as the #9 playing the traditional center forward’s role. Chiumiento functioned as a second striker in the playmaker role, behind Hassli. The two front men along with Salinas and Camilo pressed well in the first half, as Seattle controlled possession. The two wide men for Vancouver were the most dangerous in attack as Camilo provided them service in dangerous areas and one v one situations.

     Defensively, Koffie and Brovsky were deployed as defensive midfielders sitting in front of the center backs. This made things comfortable for DeMerit and Akloul in defense.

Seattle’s Strategy

     Fucito operated as the striker. He was missing in action and was neutralized by DeMerit and Akloul. Freddie Montero was given a free role. He at times even operated as a forward, nearly scoring at the back post in the 21st at the back post. Evans and Neagle kept the width on the right and left respectively. Neagle gave RB Leathers trouble throughout the first half. However, he lacked a final ball which left Sounders fans wondering if Zakuani would have run riot had he been fit.
     After the Whitecap’s goal, Rosales got more involved. Rosales worked off of Montero’s movement as an attacking midfielder. He did not seem comfortably in this role.

     The best chance for Seattle came at the end of the half. Fucito was through on goal after Rosales played a perfect ball. However, he shot wide: Sounders supporters claiming he was shoved on the shot.

Lone Goal in the Opening Half

     The opening goal was sprung in the 28th min from a move down the left wing. Camilo got the ball in space and brought it into the box. He cut inside of Riley and was brought down by Alonso, with the referee Mark Geiger pointing to the spot.

Sigis’ Haltime Adjustments

     Having a one nil lead on the road, Vancouver opted to continue with the 4-2-3-1 system that suppressed and frustrated the Sounder’s attack.

     Sigi Schmidt made tactical changes at the break which benefitted Seattle. Evans moved to the middle in front of Alonso and Rosales moved wide right. The Sounders used Rosales as the spear head of their attack. Rosales Swung in crosses and challenged the LB Rochat. At times Salinas was used defensively to help Rochat contain Rosales.

     Jaqua came in for Neagle in the 59th and moved to Striker as Fucito shifted to the left wing. Then a straight swap in the 65^th as Montaño came in to LW for Fucito.
     Finally the pressure from Seattle paid off in the 81^st min as LB Wahl swung in a cross for Jaqua. DeMerit and Akloul didn’t head it clear and it dropped to Rosales who poked it in from 5 yards at the back post. It must be said the Cannon was quite indecisive, incorrectly electing to not collect the cross.

Hassli’s Enigmatic Performance

     Hassli tried to hold the ball up and at times played off the shoulder of the center backs. However, he received little service throughout the game. Having scored two goals, he put in a true poacher’s performance because of how uninvolved he was in the flow of the game. His first came from a penalty. It was a cheeky chipped effort in which Keller dove to the side. His second, which leveled the match in the 85^th min was arguably the goal of the season. Leathers played a long ball which was easily dealt with by Hurtado on the right side. Hurtado then passed the ball to the right corner of the 18 to Alonso. Alonso miscontrolled the ball and Hassli pounced, flicked the ball up and put a right foot volley that looped over Keller into the top left corner. The strike was similar to the Maxi Rodriguez goal in extra time of the 2006 world cup round of 16.

The Up and Down Performance of Oswaldo Alonso

     Ozzie Alonso was the most central figure in the match. He operated as the lone holding midfielder in Sigi Schmid’s formation. Alonso prowled from touchline to touchline winning the ball back for Seattle and then distributing the ball well to his teammates.

     In the 20^th min the Sounders had a corner which was headed out by Vancouver. Alonso claimed the ball 23 yards out and ripped a left footed volley which forced a great save from Joe Cannon. He then scored what seemed to be the winner in the 85^th min. Brovsky gave away the ball away on the top of the 18 and Alonso seized it and sent a low left foot shot into the bottom right hand corner. Then a minute later he was responsible for giving the ball away to Hassli who scored the equalizer.

Conclusion

     Overall, Vancouver should be extremely happy with a point. The Whitecaps were well organized, but by the last quarter of the match were getting overwhelmed by the attacking pressure from Seattle. Vancouver created little, only offering the occasional attack on the counter. Seattle would feel hard done by after a very strong second half performance. However, they lack a striker (Jaqua and Fucito were ineffective) and Montero played as a deep lying striker, in between the Whitecap’s midfield and defense.

     The game was good to watch. The Qwest Field faithful and the traveling Vancouver supporters provided a proper derby atmosphere. The TV commentary by Arlo White and Christopher Sullivan was great. White is the voice of the Sounders, but kept a neutral tone. Sullivan is one of the few FSC pundits who is able to breakdown a match and offer tangible insight. However, the fieldturf at times can disrupt the flow of passing and makes it hard to string medium length passes to a wide player and through balls in the air together.

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